Pairing soul legend Al Green with hip-hop producers James Poyser and Amir "?uestlove" Thompson may seem like a dicey prospect to old school fans, but those same fans will celebrate LAY IT DOWN. The album plays like a return to the classic sound of 1970s albums like LET'S STAY TOGETHER and I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU without sounding slavishly retro, while the guest stars and the crack studio band accentuate the Reverend's still-vital genius.

Like Green's classic work, LAY IT DOWN blends Southern soul, funk, jazz, blues, and balladry into a gorgeously smooth concoction that is steamy, surging, mellow, and moving all at once. The title track, a duet with Anthony Hamilton, kicks things off in style with a floating, string-sweetened vibe that showcases the restrained prowess of both singers. (Hamilton also appears on the groove-driven "You've Got the Love I Need.") Other highlights include the ballad "No One Like You," and duets with John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae. Brilliant in its controlled passion and silky, atmospheric mood, LAY IT DOWN is a latter-day soul gem from one of the genre's masters.

Rolling Stone (p.71) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here's no replicating Green's heaven-sent voice. On slow-jams like 'Too Much,' Green's instrument is in remarkable fettle, gliding from burly lower-register growls to an ethereal falsetto."

Spin (p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "LAY IT DOWN makes it clear that Green's devotion to the primacy of his music's groove has only deepened with age."

Living Blues - "[Green] is in typically breathtaking form throughout, his improvised, passion-filled turns of phrase and leaps of register rife with wondrous delight."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Sounding as sweet as ever as he sashays into his 60s....[T]he sparse contributions of the Dap-King horns make pleasing ripples..."